Hello to all, hope everyone is doing well stateside and beyond.
I’ve not posted much in 2016, as life has been crazy, lots of changes and all the usual ups and downs.
On the up, I’m soon to be a father with my first due in a month!
I’m a Type 1 diagnosed when I was 12 years old, my mother was also a Type 1, no other cases of diabetes in family history. My lovely lady is in fine health and apart from a few scares during routine scans due to crazy blood work and lab mistakes all is looking well.
No health conditions or diabetes on her side.
My question is as Type 1 father, my child is obviously at an increased risk of Type 1, I’ve always struggled with ethics of even having children because of this issue, but here I am, I must do all I can to stay positive and minimise any risk to the child.
Can anyone advise of how I can minimise potential risk of the child suffering a similar fate to myself, I understand the mother breast feeding is important, avoiding cows milk, some links mention colder climates and parents being white facing a greater risk etc.
Are there any decent meta studies around the area and the genetic, heredity issues of Type 1 parents.
I understand the child has a greater risk if the father is Type 1, often quoted as 1 in 10, or 1 in 17 which is scary!
I dunno what to say about that but congrats! There’s a TrialNet study you can do in the US which will tell you about genetic D markers. I don’t know if they are in the UK too. Junior is 17 and cleared TrialNet a year or two ago. I still worry all the time but she’s pretty sharp and could roll with it, which is all you can do. I think it’s pretty genetic and that there’s not much you can do to stop it. The best you can do is kick its ■■■.
Congrats @Buckley83. I think your worries are pretty common. I would assure you that the chances while increased are still modest (1 in 10 chance). I am often surprised that people with T2 don’t worry as much about their children since there is a stronger genetic connection (about 1 in 7).
I think it is important to realize, diabetes happens. Even if your child gets diabetes, they willstill be able lead a long, healthy, productive and happy life.
I am a type 1 with a mom who was type 1. I did not wish to have children and thankfully I did. I have two wonderful sons now 34 and 36. Neither have type 1 and 3 grandchildren, none with type 1. e now know that each child has a separate risk and that risk is not unreasonably large. Something on the order of a 10%. Which does not mean with 10 children you will have one type 1. Rather that each child separately has about a 10% risk. That 10% risk was the same for you as it was for me.
So, I get the worry, believe me I do, but look at it this way, we live in a different diabetes world than I grew up in, and a different one than you grew up in. The life spans of a type 1 are approaching average, up from about 30 years when I was diagnosed.
I have RA and today RA is a far bigger deal to me than diabetes. When I look at my grandchildren, I see the hope of a world where diabetes will not significantly interfere with thier lives. We are that close. No cure, no prevention, I am aware of. But as a PWD for 42 years I can honestly say diabetes is not my biggest concern. That is something I never thought I would be able to say and yet I do.
So enjoy your child, participate in Trialnet, the best way forward we have at the moment, and keep the faith, fatherhood is fantastic.
Everyone on here has given great advice so far on recognizing the risk and putting it into perspective.
Another benefit of TrialNet: They now know the presence of two auto-antibodies predicts progression to Type 1 Diabetes almost 100%, even before people have any abnormal blood sugar elevation. So you can test your little one every year to see if they have the antibodies. If they have two, they can start on experimental treatments that could potential prevent onset.
There are a few trials ongoing to see if those who are at risk (i.e. have multiple antibodies but normal blood sugar) can have their disease prevented or delayed by things like an oral capsule of insulin. I am hopeful that in five to 10 years there may be a way to delay onset in those who are already autoantibody positive.
There are a bunch of other theories out there, from avoiding wheat gluten to (somehow?) preventing your kid from getting cocksackie virus B to maintaining a healthy gut biome with lots of fiber and veggies in the diet. The bottom line is that those are all speculative at this point. It probably wouldn’t hurt to introduce your kid to lots of veggies but if that was all it took to prevent T1D I’m sure someone would have thought of that.
Congrats on the upcoming birth of your child! I’m a T1D and my only child is a daughter, now 32 years old. I did not participate in the TrialNet study with my daughter and as an adult she has chosen not to participate. She remains free of diabetes. Sometimes not knowing about life’s risks makes things easier for people. If it were me, I’d want to know. I understand my daughter’s position.
We all must accept that life is risky. Risk does not disappear until we’re dead. I continue to opt for enduring the risk for the time being.
I watched my daughter being born and it’s one of my life’s best memories. Happy fatherhood!
Even if you have kids without diabetes, it’s my understanding that TrialNet would love your participation as figuring out what those kids w/o diabetes have going on genetically is very useful to the study.
Yes, I’ll enrol at the local hospital for trialnet within the first couple of years I am sure.
Any other tips for fatherhood also greatly appreciated. Looking in acid rocks direction haha as he seems to take such things in his stride.
I’m still reeling at the cost of everything so far, bye bye motorcycles and other treats for a couple of decades !
I’ve quietly been trying to bring together the value system I would want to try to instill in him and any lessons I’ve learned that are worth passing on ha.
It’s all new to me, my father passed when I was two and my mother passed when I was young. So it is an odd feeling to have this little guy on the way to take care of.
I’m an atheist, but have to say Christian ethics have alot going for them in terms of morality. My main bug bear is neo conservatism and the creeping privatisation of everything in the pursuit of the mighty dollar/pound. The political sphere is almost beyond satire at present as well ha ha ha.
Just going to have as much fun with him as I can and hopefully get things right. Feels like a blessing, but also a huge responsibility!
I am a type 1, married to a woman who so far is healthy (after 39 years of marriage) and we have four non-diabetic children in their 30s. My younger daughter has acquired a thyroid problem from her mother, and gluten allergy from my mother’s side of the family. They are all at an increased risk of type 2 from their mother’s side, but if we stopped and considered all the medical reasons we might not want kids, we would have missed the four wonderful, healthy children, and two grandchildren, that we have. If you want to be a father, be a father and don’t look for things that aren’t there. Who knows, maybe your child will cure diabetes for good, or the common cold.
My uncle has been type 1 diabetic for 50yrs and none of his 3 children developed diabetes! I know as a parent u will always worry. But at least diabetes is a disease were there is treatment and we can live a close to normal life. Enjoy being a parent its truly amazing!
